Policies for Gender Equality in Portugal: contributions to a framework for older women

Abstract

The way people age is exceptionally heterogeneous, diverse and fraught with various asymmetries (Fernandez-Ballesteros, 1999). Empirical evidence confirms that the diversity and cultural complexity interfere in how individuals age, and recognises that there are differences in how men and women experience their ageing. This article analyses the five National Plans for the Promotion of Equality and Citizenship, implemented between 1997 and 2017. The objective is to assess policies to gender equality in the context of ageing and focusing on older women. The authors concluded that the older population is practically invisible in the documents analysed, with a higher prevalence of women. The documents show a homogenization of older people as a group, only making a distinction by gender. There are not considered identity categories of this population. Measures concerning the senior population are mainly focused on the economic dimension, in the context of combating poverty and social inclusion.